Saturday, 19 December 2009

The new born baby and the foetal scan you might remember seeing featured in my textile work a couple of years ago is now over two years old. Amelie shows her own new baby here and how she carries it around in its own 'embroidered' carrycot.

A train journey to Cornwall on a beautiful sunny day to have lunch with brother John in Truro. Taking some photos through the window on the Brunel Bridge over the River Tamar I noticed the extra shapes in the reflective surfaces and thought how intriguing they looked. Will look out for more of these.

Sunday, 8 November 2009

Photos of the amazing reflective spheres outside the Royal Academy of Arts while queueing for the Anish Kapoor exhibition. It's on until 11th December if you're in London near Piccadilly Circus, you can see these spheres in the courtyard without going into the exhibition. An interesting way of creating distorted images - ideas for designing perhaps?

Monday, 5 October 2009

Splish died during August. She was my constant studio companion of 14 years who knew just the right background to enhance her colouring. Below, Splish poses with the ever growing length of the 'path' for my 'Tread Softly' exhibit.

The Knitting and Stitching show opens at Alexandra Palace on Thursday 8th October and I shall be there if anyone wants to say hello. I'm not attached to a particular show or stand this year but I shall be spending some time at the Pfaff Art Embroidery exhibition if you'd like to seek me out. Look out, also for 'Thread Softly', my piece of work in this exhibition. An image of this was posted on 16th May 2009.

Thursday, 16 July 2009

Inspired by a chosen artist, everyone made pieces of machine stitched water-soluble 'solufleece'. This was then genlty sponged onto a 3 D shape such as a bottle, head or shoe form to dry into a stiff shape. The Summer School finished with a show of these pieces along with the named badges everyone had stitched on the first evening - also inspired by the same artist.

Betty and Avis in photo below, Helen and Karen below that and Julie, Alison and Meg in the bottom photo.

Monday, 13 July 2009

It was a pleasant ninety minute queue in the sunshine outside Bristol Museum to see the Banksy exhibition after spotting an original on a wall down the road. Banksy was asked to respond to exhibits within the museum. It was a fabulous exhibition. As well as the main foyer and rooms specifically to show his new work/installations, we were encouraged to 'spot the Banksy' amoungst the other galleries showing collections of ceramics, silverware, rocks and minerals, Egypt, dinasaurs etc. It was great fun. here are a few of my favourite ones that are 'printable! The leopard in the cage was a fur coat, whose belt 'twitched'.

I hope you like this quote which Kathy Johnson puts at the bottom of her emails. Thank you Kathryn for your message left here, but I couldn't find a way of replying to it other than saying here that I hope all goes peacefully for you.

Today is the funeral of my friend Jenny who died last week at 55 just before her youngest son's 18th birthday. Jenny was a gentle soul who grew native species trees and shrubs in her small nursery around her cottage, just along the narrow lane from me. She also had a strength and determination to fight injustice. She encouraged a group of us neighbours to protest about the expansion of a nearby quarry which is eating away at a small wooded hill on the outskirts of Cannington; the site of an historical iron-age fort as well as a local beauty spot. Jenny organised us, wrote letters and walked experts from English Heritage around the hill. The battle is not won as too many motorways and runways call for the limestone from this hill. I expect the whole village will be at the church.

Friday, 10 July 2009

The whole class of 2009, wave from the steps outside the dining room at Urchfont Manor. Everyone looks very happy at the end of a very successful Summer School. Who is that person wearing those very loud patterned trousers in the front? Surely it can't be your tutor!

A huge thank you to all the staff at Urchfont who provided us with such cheerful and helpful hospitality and meals that seemed more delicious than ever.

Monday, 15 June 2009

Johnnene and Gail against a wonderful cottonwood tree alongside the River Thames in London, Ontario.

Daisy May, left, and Bobbins, right helped to make my stay with Johnnene Maddison and Dave in London, Ontario, a very pleasant and comfortable 'home from home'.

A decorative house in the town of Stratford, (Ontario) which has several theatres, a statue of Shakespsear and a River Avon.

Jackie and Eleanor on the pebble shore of Lake Erie. 60 miles across to the other shore!

An 'assemblage' on the shore.

A ground hog 'mom' enjoying the sun in the unniversity. Her three babies sometimes joined her for a run around on the grass.

A few examples of the resolved textile pieces as a result of the 'Assemblage' workshop from Susan, Johnnene, Gail, Maggie, Kathy, Leanne, Jackie, Betty and Ruth Ann. There were many other exciting pieces, too numerous to add here that used different methods of attachment to create assembled textiles, combining old and new materials, some dipped in a dye bath of potassium permanganate solution to help to unify the different parts.

Rael, a bursary student from the University Textiles Course, arranges her work for the evaluation session.

Students attending the Embroiderers' Guild Summer School in the 'Assemblage' class in one of the spacious workshop rooms in Western Ontario University. The 19 students gather to discuss their work at the last session of the workshop. Do any of you have any other photos?